Annual Report 2005

idealsJC

Cs

of N

orth

Am

eric

a

JCC Association Annual Report 2005

A True Example of Leadership

The 2006 JCCs of North America Biennial marks the completion of the chairmanship of Edward H. Kaplan, who has led the JCC Association Board of Directors since the Los Angeles Biennial in 2002. Taking on the leadership of a continental organization brings with it unique challenges, even for seasoned leaders such as Ed. He has demonstrated a special commitment and vision, as he has quietly but steadfastly urged us to take significant steps forward in our services to JCCs and toward the JCC Movement that exists today.

Upon assuming the responsibilities of chair, Ed approached a number of new donors with the goal of creating a fund for new initiatives that would support original and experimental JCC Association ventures that we would have been unable to implement due to a lack of capital. Ed’s own generosity led this effort, which created the following among others:

• A new database management system for JCCs• A brand identity for the JCC Movement• Special two-year training programs for: -The next “class” of JCC executive directors -Middle managers from throughout the movement -Day camp directors to enrich Judaic content• The new JCC Maccabi Artsfest™

• Hagshama-A plan for the JCC Movement• Market research on JCC members• Funding for GesherCity, the JCC Association initiative for young adults• The new position of consultant for emerging Jewish communities that want to develop JCCs

Ed’s leadership is a model for a true and effective lay/professional partnership. He understands what needs to be done, and brings others along with him in supporting the work of the professionals and the organization. His legacy as chair of JCC Association is felt throughout North America. It underlines the critical role that lay leaders and volunteers play in our movement. The success of JCCs depends on the collaborative and complementary partnership of professionals and volunteers. Each has a role, but neither can function effectively without the other. Ed understands that better than most. I thank him and Irene for their generosity and dedication to the work of Jewish Community Centers.

Allan FinkelsteinPresident

Learning for a LifetimeLearning and teaching are integral parts of Jewish tradition. Jews have never considered education to be the province only of the young. We believe that people should continue learning throughout their lives, that learning is the proper work of adulthood. At JCC Association, we uphold that tradition, and we are proud that 2005 was a banner year for learning and teaching. Our staff spread across North America, training early-childhood teachers and preschool parents to use An Ethical Start®, our early-childhood Jewish values curriculum, and day and resident camp directors to get the most out of TAG: Jewish Values through JCC Camping™. Thanks to the generous support of the AVI CHAI Foundation, our Mandel Center for Jewish Education gave a distinguished group of JCC resident-camp directors a profound educational experience through the Lekhu Lakhem initiative. Another Lekhu Lakhem group of day-camp directors began their own Jewish educational journey.

We trained 19 JCC senior department heads through our first Middle Management Training Program class, and we provided 83 executive directors with advanced leadership training at our Executive Seminars. Our new Mandel Center for Excellence in Leadership and Management educated a group of JCC fundraising professionals at a seminar in our office, and instituted a brand-new intensive mentoring and support program for first-time executive directors. Our marketing department traveled to Texas, Ohio, and Florida to present all-day training workshops about the JCC brand, holding several in our New York office, as well. New delegation heads at the JCC Maccabi Games® learned about their responsibilities at all-day training seminars and through conference calls, and 15 JCC Association Teen Professional Fellows studied and learned together both in the United States and in Israel. More than five hundred JCC professionals found numerous learning opportunities at the JCCs of North America Professional Conference in Philadelphia, which focused on improving their daily practice. In addition, they exchanged ideas and discussed trends, learning from each other. Twenty-seven JCC Association staff members also had the chance to learn from and about each other, and about the Jewish State, when we traveled to Israel to join with our Israel Office colleagues. A full schedule of meetings, visits, and tours gave us a deeper understanding of the challenges Israel is facing and the vibrant, diverse society it has created.

While we focus on training our adult colleagues, we know that a good deal of that training will eventually benefit children and youth. Better trained camp directors and staff, coaches, preschool teachers, and teen workers will inspire and guide JCC children and teens to continue their own Jewish journeys. Our mission remains the same, to encourage and help everyone at the JCC to continue learning, growing, and thriving. It’s all about teaching and learning for a lifetime.

securing Jewish Futures � JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl report 2005 �JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl RepoRt 2004

it starts in early ChildhoodWe take our mission of inspiring the first step in a family’s Jewish journey seriously, and our department of early childhood services expanded its array of services to JCCs in 2005. For the first time, we provided a special two-day seminar for new early childhood directors, welcoming them into the JCC Movement and introducing them to all of the programs and resources JCC Association has to offer. In response to an increasing number of requests for on-site consultations, we helped to evaluate the status of JCC preschool programming and provided suggestions to enhance each school’s competitive edge. Our active early childhood listserv really has people talking! Early childhood educators are sharing ideas and techniques on a range of issues–from curriculum and family communication to budgets and schedules.

An Ethical Start®, JCC Association’s innovative program that brings Jewish ethical teachings into the preschool classroom, continues to grow dramatically. An Ethical Start has now reached 2,700 children in 40 JCCs. This year, 100 teachers participated in two continental training conferences offered in Baltimore and Los Angeles. Over two hundred teachers now participate in ongoing text study sessions where they enrich their own Jewish knowledge so they can share it with the children and their families.

Last year, 20 JCCs across North America received special gifts from local federations, family foundations, and individual donors to support implementation of An Ethical Start. We have also witnessed a tremendous increase in the number and variety of parent study programs growing out of An Ethical Start. In an effort to involve as many families as possible, JCCs are opening their doors to parent study groups in the mornings after drop-off time, on Sunday afternoons with accompanying family activities, and for the very popular Peer K. Explorer® pizza and pajama party on school nights.

Parents are not only studying Pirkei Avot with local rabbis and text teachers, but with An Ethical Start team members. Our new text consultants Beile Bloch and Rabbi Phil Miller have visited several JCCs. Curriculum consultant Lisa Litman has participated in some spectacular parent events as well. Many parents have never engaged in text study before, and they are surprised and delighted that it leads to such lively discussion and helps with parenting issues at the same time.

Funded by: Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation; The Covenant Foundation; The Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Awards Committee; The Brill Family Charitable Trust; The Marcus Foundation; The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. Thanks to the many supporters throughout North America who have helped bring An Ethical Start to their local JCCs.

A Lesson Learnedby a parent from JCC MetroWest

Every night i read my son Jake a book before bedtime. one night, the book we chose, the stonecutter, told the story of a gem cutter, a master craftsman whose expertise was widely known and sought after. He could take a rough unattractive block of stone and turn it into breathtaking gems. His ability was truly a gift, but one that he did not appreciate. He was bitter about not owning the gems himself. “i work hard so that others can grow even richer,” he said.

He spent his life thinking like this and finally died an old, bitter, angry man.

the moral of the story, i told my son, is that we should try to be happy and appreciate what we have, and not always think about what we don’t have.

My son lay back on his pillow and informed me very matter-of-factly that Ben Zoma says the same thing.

Kids Learn Values Along with Flag FootballThe NFL and JCC Association are proud that youth and teens from across North America, Israel and the world are staying fit while having fun and learning character-building lessons of teamwork and sportsmanship by playing flag football.

In 2005, JCC Association and the National Football League (NFL) expanded the productive relationship they’ve shared since 1998. We marked the beginning of an entirely new level of programming, thanks to a generous grant from the NFL Youth Football Fund (YFF). That grant allowed us to add a full-time professional to our staff and to establish the JCC Association-NFL Youth Football Partnership. Now we can offer our flag football program to even more JCCs in North America and around the world.

We exceeded every benchmark of the 2005 plan we presented to NFL. Some of our accomplishments include:

• expanding flag football programming to more than 80 North American JCCs • introducing flag football to over 40 JCC day and resident summer camps• training a large number of JCC sports and wellness professionals, coaches, and volunteers,

including women• introducing football to Israeli youth, teens, and adult coaches• including flag football as a core competitive sport at the JCC Maccabi Games® in Dallas in 2005

and in Phoenix in 2006• training international JCC professionals from Australia, Great Britain, Mexico, and Poland to coach

and run flag football programs in their countries

These initiatives made it possible for more than 120 JCC programs, including day camps, resident camps, sports and wellness departments and JCC Maccabi Games host communities across North America, to reach over twenty thousand boys and girls globally.

In December, 20 flag football players, coaches, and leaders from Michael-Ann Russell JCC in North Miami Beach, Florida, took an extraordinary journey to Israel in collaboration with the NFL and JCC Association’s JCC Maccabi Israel™. Michael-Ann Russell JCC has enjoyed many successes in flag football, including national and world championships. They have competed in countless tournaments, but no other football experience measured up to this journey. “We have traveled all over the world, [but] this is by far the most meaningful and wonderful trip we have been on,” said Coach David Fried.

Playing at the Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem, with help from our partners, American Football in Israel (AFI), the MARJCC team introduced the game to the Jewish State. The team traveled from Jerusalem to Haifa to Tel Aviv, taking time to play football with Israeli children from regional youth groups. The Floridians taught the Israeli kids the basics of flag football, and in turn they learned about Israel’s history, beauty, culture, and so much more.

The NFL grant helped us to bring a contingent of international coaches to the United States in 2005. They learned, played and coached during four packed days, acquainting themselves with a game that gets little or no attention back home. “I am looking forward to including some elements of American football during the physical education lessons in our Jewish school in Warsaw and to teach other P.E. teachers to do the same,” said Robert Czajkowski, the representative from Poland.

securing Jewish Futures � JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl report 2005 �JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl RepoRt 2004 �

A Coach’s Journal from Israel: Day 7 Dave Fried

today we went to a high school where we participated in a Hanukkah party in an auditorium and also played football in the gym in front of half the school. the students thought we were rock stars, literally. We were the kings of this high school. Later we went to play football and hang out with kids who have physical disabilities. this was one of the most rewarding things i have ever done. We played basketball in wheelchairs against athletes in wheelchairs. it is not easy. these kids were so happy that we were playing with them. We made friends.

We lit the Hanukkah candles tonight. We sang Hanukkah songs and all of the kids received some gifts. this was the most memorable Hanukkah for me since i was a child.

Dave Fried is head coach at the Michael Ann Russell JCC in North Miami Beach, Florida

We anticipate that our partnership with NFL will result in the continued expansion and promotion of flag football programs in five countries (Israel, Mexico, Poland, Australia and Great Britain). We plan to increase the number of boys and girls playing youth football by 20,000 globally, and provide training for approximately four hundred and twenty-five sports and wellness professionals, coaches and volunteers. In addition, we are adding a fourth major initiative. To extend our commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles for children, JCC Association will partner with the Parisi Speed School to bring youth fitness programs to local JCCs.

Mandel Center for Jewish education inspires Learning at CampIn 2005, the Mandel Center for Jewish Education focused on deepening and strengthening JCC Association’s camping movement. Staff development programs enriched the senior leadership of 33 camps, and TAG: Jewish Values Through JCC Camping™ inspired children and staff alike in 96 resident and day camps.

Lekhu Lakhem: Jewish and Educational Journeys for JCC Resident Camp Directors, underwritten by a generous grant from the AVI CHAI Foundation, provides significant Jewish learning and leadership experiences to a cohort of 13 JCC resident camp directors. The core faculty working with the AVI CHAI/Mandel Fellows together represent close to three-quarters of a century of camp experience. A number of scholars and artists-in-residence have participated, as well. In addition to two intensive seminars held in 2005, the group visited Israel for two weeks in January 2006 for a profound collegial and spiritual experience. The Fellows also learn traditional Jewish text and its application to camp in small mentoring groups led by one of the faculty members, and their mentors visit each of them at their own camps for a first hand consultation and learning experience during the two summers of the program.

Based on the seminar model we developed for the resident camp directors, a Lekhu Lakhem seminar for day camp directors was launched in November. It brought together 19 day camp directors from across the continent, all of whom have been named Mandel Lekhu Lakhem Fellows. This new seminar contains all of the elements of the resident program, with Jewish learning in small group conference calls every other week as well as five seminars in North America and the extended seminar in Israel.

The MCJE also created four new TAG: Jewish Values Through JCC Camping™ initiatives for

day and resident camps for the summer of 2005, plus a fifth one created specifically for the JCC Association/Coca-Cola Company® Days of Caring and Sharing community-service project for JCC camps.

Touching Torah is the first in a series of curriculum materials that focus on the summer parashot hashavuah, or weekly Torah portions. Over the next years, MCJE will publish materials for additional Torah portions, ultimately covering an entire summer of Shabbatot at camp. George Blumenthal, the underwriter of Lighting Candles with Our Ancesters, another TAG program, generously funded the project.

Touching Torah incorporates a variety of activities designed to engage campers and staff in a fun and meaningful way. Participants explore the themes of each parasha, and spend time discussing the characters, events, problems and their solutions. The units include stories, discussions, arts and crafts, drama and even sports. There is also a section designed to assist camp directors in giving a D’var Torah. We’ve included a CD of the trope for camps interested in chanting Torah as part of a Shabbat celebration.

The second TAG initiative, Teva: Nature and the Environment, focuses on the Jewish value of baal tashchit, or not destroying our precious natural resources and environment. A variety of activities enable campers to explore the importance of being mindful of how we use our resources. Stories, games, arts and crafts, walks, and recycling projects are all used to convey the importance of this Jewish value.

The third TAG initiative concentrates on the Jewish value, “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover.” Through a series of drama games, skits, and a play, campers and staff explore this concept that comes from Pirkei Avot, The Ethics of Our Fathers. In this way, we continue the character education initiated in preschool by An Ethical Start.

Israel: Signs and Symbols focuses on the notion that different images affect the way we think and ultimately inform the way we move through the world. This initiative incorporates games, arts and crafts, history, discussions, text exploration, singing and drama as means to cultivate a substantive and meaningful connection to Israel.

In May, MCJE sponsored two TAG Initiatives Training Seminars. Camp staff explored the units, analyzing text and engaging in a variety of activities from the five new initiatives. For many, it was the first time that they had an opportunity to meet people from across the U.S. and Canada who are engaged in the same work at other JCC camps.

JCC Camp Taught Me to Celebrate Jewish Life Mark S. Young

When my folks shipped me off to JCC Camp Wise in Chardon, Ohio when I was 10, I was really homesick. In fact, I cried as soon as my mom said goodbye to me. I cried on the bus, all through the first night, during Maccabiah (color war), even during my first Shabbat. At dinner, a counselor said, “Mark, I think you’ll like it here if you stay, I think you’ll want to come back next summer.”

“No I won’t,” I said, “I want to go home.”

Fifteen years have passed, and 14 out of the last 15 summers, I have been at Camp Wise. I was a camper in every village, a counselor in training, a counselor, and then, my dream job, song leader and Judaic director. During that fateful first summer, the Judaic director gave me the opportunity to lead the Amidah in front of the whole camp. Today, I hand the microphone to campers and staff for them to lead prayers in front of the whole camp.

JCC camp gives you the opportunity not just to be a rock star, but also a Jewish leader among your peers, exposing you to the excitement of pluralistic communal worship, allowing you to learn, teach, and love Jewish prayer and tradition. It doesn’t really matter how you practice your Judaism at home. At camp you are part of one family, celebrating Shabbat, celebrating Jewish life. You play Frisbee, but you also sing David Melech Yisrael. It may only be for three or four or seven weeks a year, but it sticks with you for a lifetime.

Camp gave me confidence growing up, and every summer I have gone back to lead a service, sing “Cat’s in the Cradle” and “Shalom Rav,” hoping to inspire a young Jew to take a journey into the future and make it a Jewish one, make it full of love with G-d, knowing that if they love who they are, if they have confidence in their abilities, they can take the journey beyond their wildest dreams.

Shalom, safe journey.

Mark Young is a JCC Association Scholarship recipient.

securing Jewish Futures � �

JCC Camping Lays the FoundationThis past summer we awarded 32 resident and day camps grants to fund activities and projects focused on improving the world we live in. To help ground the JCC Association/Coca-Cola Company® Days of Caring and Sharing activities in Jewish values, the Mandel Center for Jewish Education developed companion curricular units about the responsibility of each child to make a positive contribution to our world. The 2005 theme was V’ahavtah L’rei-akhah Kamokhah, Love Your Friend the Way You Love Yourself.

We introduced a new component of the program in 2005, a training session for all participating camps on how to use and integrate the educational resource material into the camp program. This past spring, we held two training sessions, one on the East Coast in JCC Association’s New York City office, and one in the Midwest, at the JCC of Greater Kansas City. “Feedback was very positive,” said Charlene Wendell, JCC Association consultant on camping, “and everyone was very excited to go back to their communities and get things started.”

The Summer Shlichim Program of the Jewish Agency’s Education Department and JCC Association have been partners for over twenty years, working together to bring shlichim (emissaries from Israel) to work as staff members in JCC day and resident camps.

The program is a cultural bridge that allows shlichim to bring the “spirit of Israel” to Jewish youth during a summer camp experience. Often, shlichim have the opportunity to interact with the Jewish community as a whole in addition to their involvement with campers, staff, and directors. This past summer over 400 shlichim worked in 120 JCC camps and communities.

Many people are now realizing what we’ve known for a long time: Jewish camping is a significant factor in maintaining a Jewish lifestyle. To enhance the JCC camping movement and help create a movement identity, we have formed a volunteer leadership group of veteran JCC camp directors to help lead us in that direction. We have been meeting regularly and are working on the creation of a mission statement for our camping movement.

My JCC Camp Job Sam Nellis i maneuver my way through the forest of booby traps. i hear a noise. i look left…nothing. i look to my right…then i see them, but it is too late. suddenly, i’m overwhelmed by a mass of small, shouting children. i’m a camp counselor at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington. in my role as a JCC counselor, my responsibilities range from leading art and singing activities to learning the true meaning of a dog pile (nothing is more terrifying than being underneath a group of second graders). However, one responsibility and privilege stands out above the rest in my mind: working with inclusion Kids.

inclusion’s sole focus is helping children with severe to mild disabilities feel and be a part of things and enjoy a normal camp experience. At the start of camp, my first reaction was to avoid the inclusion children entirely. i just didn’t know how to deal with them without being either overly helpful or patronizing. i couldn’t get comfortable with their special needs, and it disabled me. so, during the first few weeks, i tended to focus on the other campers in my charge. that was true even on the bus, where it was my job to pay extra attention to the campers who use wheelchairs.

one girl changed everything for me. Her name is Asher, and she simply refused to let me off the hook. Everyday, Asher

would roll onto the bus after camp and ask me about my day. And, just before she’d get off the bus, she’d call me over and say, “i love you.” i finally began to see what i’d felt all along: i was not only being a bad counselor, but a poor human being as well.

i discovered a whole new world of communication, understanding and feeling. i have always been able to freely communicate my every emotion, but these campers are sometimes unable to voice necessary phrases such as, “i’d like to get out of the pool now.” i learned to read body language in children who had little control over their bodies, and to my surprise, that helped me to read body language in my other campers as well, increasing my effectiveness as a counselor overall.

i’ve never known a program as mutually beneficial to both groups as the inclusion Program at the JCC of Greater Washington. Children who would otherwise spend their year only around children with similar issues get a chance to just be kids without feeling like they’re missing out on a whole piece of life. i’m told that the experience that some of the kids have keeps them on cloud nine year-round. However, i believe that the counselors and “normal” campers benefit too, and experience a change in their own lives.

High school taught me to be a leader in my community. it taught me how to study and how to work, but it was my job at camp that taught me how to be a mensch.

israeli and American Athletes Compete and Connect at JCC Maccabi Games®

Many more Israeli participants—128 in all—took part in the 2005 JCC Maccabi Games®, which took place in San Antonio and Dallas, Texas, Richmond, Virginia, and St. Paul, Minnesota. The Games drew about six thousand teens, of which 104 were Israeli athletes and their 24 chaperones, participating through 22 North American JCCs. The Israelis took part in the Games as a result of the Partnership 2000 relationship their hometowns had with JCCs and North American communities. The number of participating Israelis was higher than the previous year, and dramatically higher than 2003, when 82 Israeli athletes and chaperones attended. Dallas, San Antonio, and St. Paul had never included Israelis in their delegations before. Fifteen Israeli athletes joined the Richmond delegation, whereas in 2003, only three participated.

Both the Israelis and the North Americans experience the visit as eye-opening. For most of the Israelis, it’s the first time they’ve been in North America, and the first time they feel part of a specifically Jewish community. The American teens learn about Israel from fellow teens, rather than teachers or counselors. “More and more communities are looking to bring teenagers from Israel,” said Sharon Hod, the JCC Maccabi Games shaliach. “Sports is a great [vehicle] to start the communication.” Hod believes that the friendships formed during the two weeks the Israelis spend with their host families and Games delegations encourages the Americans to visit Israel, which some of them did through JCC Maccabi Israel in 2005.

�

understanding Myself as a Jew Marcie Schlanger

Louis Ginzberg, an outstanding talmudist said, “the religion of the Jew must have its roots in the past, yet nourish him in the present world; it must have the power to take up and assimilate new ideas, all the while retaining a real continuity with the past from which it has sprung.”

the above quote makes the important point that Jewish people need to experience new ideas while remembering and honoring our heritage. Being a participant in the JCC Maccabi Games® provides me with the opportunity to understand myself better as a Jew.

While i play basketball with other Jewish teams, there is a sense of camaraderie (we are all Jews) that supersedes the desire to win. Yes, it’s nice to win, but my team and i should be humble and remember rachmanus if a situation arises. By showing fairness to another team, we are truly taking a Jewish value and using it for a good reason.

Another highlight of the JCC Maccabi Games was when a family from the st. Paul area hosted me. Upon returning to new York, my family and i received a beautiful and moving note from Jackie, my host mom. she said, “i was amazed at how attached i became to both girls in just a few days. it was quiet and lonely in our house Friday afternoon after everyone was gone. thanks again for making our JCC Maccabi Games experience such a great one.” this connection to another Jewish family is a good example of how the JCC Maccabi Games will help with my religious continuity.

the Days of Caring and sharing is important to the foundation of the JCC Maccabi Games. the participants are made aware of the importance of giving something back to the community. this reflects the concepts of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and tzedakah (righteousness), which my teammates and i will remember to bring back to Rockland County. these messages help sustain our Jewish continuity!

Without a doubt, the opening Ceremonies with the parade of teams carrying their banners with pride and showing Jewish solidarity is an awe-inspiring event that represents Jewish

continuity. thank you for the opportunity to represent Rockland County in the 200� JCC Maccabi Games.

This essay was written by Marcie Schlanger in response to the question “How do the JCC Maccabi Games help with Jewish continuity?” Her essay won first prize in a scholarship contest specifically for the JCC Maccabi Games.

Young Artists Develop at JCC Maccabi ArtsFest™

For years, we have wanted to help JCCs reach out to teens interested in the arts, and now we’ve reached that goal. The first-ever JCC Maccabi ArtsFest™, with seed money from the New Initiatives Fund established by a group of visionary philanthropists, will take place in Baltimore from August 20-25, 2006. ArtsFest is designed to inspire Jewish teens through a dynamic combination of workshop, performance, exhibition, competition, community service, social activities, and fun to develop their individuality through the medium of artistic expression while strengthening their bonds to their Jewish heritage, community, and Israel.

Over the past year we have been working closely with the JCC of Greater Baltimore to plan an amazing experience for teens who are passionate about the arts. First, we settled on the disciplines we would offer: digital video; instrumental music, including rock and jazz; musical theater; reporting, which includes writers and photographers; techies (stage production); visual arts; and vocal music. Then we set out to find artists-in-residence who could inspire teens and help them realize their potential. We are proud of the level of professional excellence of our talented artists, all working in their fields of expertise and all with a real desire to teach teenagers. They include singer/songwriter/recording artist Stacy Beyer; Dave Eske, technical director for the Gordon Center for Performing Arts in Baltimore; Phil Jacobs, editor of the

Baltimore Jewish Times; Israeli jazz musician Mattan Klein; songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Josh Nelson; filmmaker Paul Santomenna; artist Jay Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen, and theatrical composer/writer/director Elizabeth Swados. The week will include opening and closing events, Days of Caring and Sharing, and evening social events, in addition to the time the teens will spend in workshops creating work that will be displayed on closing day.

At the same time, we reached out to JCCs around the country and created materials to help them recruit their delegations. We also created a cutting-edge website that would convince teens that ArtsFest was the cool place to be: www.jccmaccabiartsfest.org. The response has been terrific. We expect to have representatives from 30 delegations at the first ArtsFest. Baltimore has invited teens from their Partnership 2000 sister city, Ashkelon, Israel, to participate with them. We already have another community signed up to host in 2007—Boca Raton, Florida. The dream is becoming a reality.

JCC Maccabi ArtsFest... Alyssa Stein

Art has been the interest of my life for the last five years. Art is not only a pastime, but a way that i connect with my emotions and relax when i am having a stressful day. Currently, i am a sophomore at Carver Center for Arts and technology in Baltimore. the art classes at Carver have influenced me in more ways then i could have imagined.

i am a part of the art community at my school, but i also feel that i am part of the art community in Baltimore. now my interest in art is connecting me to my past and a special friend. i heard from my best friend Ali, who lives in Michigan, that JCC Maccabi ArtsFest™ was taking place in Baltimore over the summer. she is passionate about singing, acting and writing, and will be coming to ArtsFest. it means so much to me to be able to share this awesome experience with someone who is so important to me.

...Brings Old Friends Together Alexandra White

When i received an e-mail about JCC Maccabi ArtsFest, i was ecstatic. i had heard of the JCC Maccabi Games before, but i was always sad because i knew i wouldn’t be included. sports just aren’t for me. i’ve been singing and acting for as long as i remember. Artsfest is where i belong.

My passion for the arts has helped me achieve many other things. it gave me something to look forward to, something to concentrate on. it helped my literary skills as well as memorization skills. the arts motivate me to look to the sky and see beyond. they make me want to learn and want to find out as much as i can about everything. it’s more than a healthy lifestyle; it’s the guiding force for everything i do.

When i heard that ArtsFest was going to be in Baltimore i was really excited because i had lived there. My best friend Alyssa still resides there and although we keep in close contact it has been over six years since i last saw her. i miss her more than words can say.

Alyssa also loves the arts. When i sent her an e-mail about the program she was as excited as i was!

Alyssa and Alexandra as JCC campers.

Alyssa and Alexandra will be reunited at JCC Maccabi ArtsFest.

� securing Jewish Futures

securing Jewish Futures 10 JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl report 2005 11JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl RepoRt 2004 11

israel: A Classroom for ConnectionWe forged even tighter bonds to Israel during 2005, which kept our colleagues in the Israel Office working at hyper-speed as they planned and coordinated more JCC seminars, retreats, Taglit-birthright israel trips, and teen tours than they have in a long time. With an American director at its head, our teen-travel department, JCC Maccabi Israel™, expanded and grew too. Reorganized to be part of the JCC Maccabi Experience, JCC Maccabi Israel brought 150 teens to Israel during the summer, the largest number since the start of the second Intifada, and the first step on the road to our goal of bringing thousands of Jewish teens to the Jewish State. JCC Maccabi Israel followed up with a winter-break basketball trip, which included teens from Atlanta, greater Washington, and the San Francisco area. This boutique trip was a wonderful experience for all of the participants, many of whom were JCC Maccabi Games alumni, and we’re planning to do it again in 2006. A redesigned and more up-to-date website made it easy for parents to follow their children’s activities, and we’re continuing to make it even more functional. Four busloads of young adults visited Israel through our birthright trips, and we’re hoping to increase that number as well.

A grant from the New Initiatives Fund helped 27 JCC Association staff members pay to travel to Israel in December for an in-depth examination of the state of the Jewish State. Arriving in Jerusalem during an unusual hot spell, the staff dived right into the maelstrom of Israeli politics and culture, a disorienting experience for many. David Horovitz, editor of the Jerusalem Post, met with the group for an analysis of the current situation. Horovitz elucidated the paradoxical nature of life in Israel, saying, “We assume that someone might want to kill us,” and “We have become inured to this untenable assumption.” With brains still reeling, the group headed to Gush Etzion, a settlement bloc outside of Jerusalem, to hear presentations from the two opposing sides of Israel’s political spectrum. By lunchtime, they’d lurched to the right, to the left, and to the center, but had a more nuanced understanding of the elements that unify and divide Israel.

Visits to Jerusalem community centers and conversations with groups relegated to the margins of Israeli society—Arab Israelis, at-risk youth, and the disabled—gave staff a powerful sense of Israel as a real society struggling with everyday social problems rather than a mythic wonderland populated entirely by young soldiers and old rabbis. Staff members took

advantage of opportunities to visit different congregations and religious sites to deepen their spiritual connections to the Holy Land, and also connected to ordinary Israelis looking for some fun and relaxation. The newly redesigned Yad Vashem museum exerted its profound effect on our staff, especially people who had never been there before and whose knowledge of the Holocaust was minimal. Director of the Israel Office Richard Juran, who accompanied the group throughout the seminar, explained how critical the Holocaust was to Israel’s self-definition, a concept underlined by a Jewish Agency educator.

The trip was illuminating for people who had never been to Israel before as well as for those who’d been there numerous times. If, as Dr. Barry Chazan has said, the air in Israel is filled with Jewish oxygen, then the ground is layered with Jewish history. The diversity of Israel’s population and culture is a reminder of the extraordinary variety of Jewish experiences—religious and secular, spiritual and intellectual, political and familial. For our non-Jewish staff, the trip was as enlightening. They gained a deeper understanding of the mission of the JCC Movement, of what it means to inspire Jewish journeys. Donald Credle, who has worked for JCC Association for 30 years, described every moment of the trip as extraordinary. “Every single minute, second, hour I spent in Israel was fantastic.” Another participant noted that he’d never heard of another organization that gave all its employees such an extraordinary opportunity for education and development. The trip left staff members with stronger bonds to each other and a heightened awareness of the critical element Israel provides to JCCs.

The Past, the Present, and the Future Phil Lipton

Heroes. My winter 200� trip to israel was a trip about heroes. it seemed appropriate that the trip took place during Hanukkah, when we remember the Maccabee heroes. But it was more than just a break from winter in Gaithersburg, Pennsylvania. i was one of a group of teenagers representing JCC Maccabi israel, touring the country and playing basketball against some of israel’s best high-school teams. We were by no means heroes—just a group of kids who live and breathe basketball and who also love israel.

While we were there we met with current sports heroes—tal Brody, an American who became an israeli basketball hero—and with members of Maccabi tel Aviv, four-time and current European basketball champions. We played against Maccabi Haifa, the team that played in the 200� JCC Maccabi Games. We met with the daughter of Yossef Romano, one of the israeli weightlifters killed at the olympic Games in 1972 in Munich. We played wheelchair basketball with kids who won’t let their disabilities slow them down.

israel is a place where the past, the present, and the future all come together. not only did we meet with current heroes, but we sensed the accomplishments of past heroes. We visited the Hall of independence, where the state of israel was declared in 1948, and where i read about my friend’s grandfather and his role in israel’s independence. We visited Yad Vashem, the memorial for all the Holocaust heroes, including many members of my mom’s family. We visited Rabin’s memorial and the military cemetery on Har Hertzl, where israel’s founders and protectors are buried, and climbed Masada, where Jewish zealots defended themselves against the Romans. And the day our plane arrived back in new York, i learned that Ariel sharon, the hero of the peace process, was taken to the hospital with a massive stroke.

And what of future heroes? soldiers, today’s israeli heroes, can be seen everywhere. We spent time with israeli teens from Maccabi Haifa—perhaps they will be future olympic or European basketball greats. Any of the people i met could be a future leader, a future hero. there is a little hero in each of us. that’s what makes israel great, and what makes each and every one of us great.

securing Jewish Futures 1� JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl report 2005 1�

JCCs Learn to Be More efficient and effectiveThe community services department has had a busy year. Our consultants made over two hundred trips to various communities in the United States and Canada to assist JCCs with leadership training, governance, strategic planning, membership retention, and facility expansion, among other topics. In addition, thanks to a grant from the New Initiatives Fund, the department has assigned one staff person to work specifically with emerging Jewish communities. These communities are growing dramatically and have asked for our help in developing Jewish Community Centers. We are currently working closely with three such communities, and are in contact with an additional ten that have requested help.

We continued to help JCCs find the right executive director when they needed one, completing over one dozen successful searches. The search for a new executive is a critical period in the life of a JCC. JCC Association community consultants help the searching JCC to set new directions, involve key leadership, and strengthen the JCC’s sense of purpose. The experienced JCC Association staff can be profoundly helpful to JCCs in selecting, hiring, and orienting a new executive director.

We successfully completed the revamping of JCC dues structure, a process that we started in 2003. The committee worked diligently to devise a formula that was fair and equitable to all JCCs, and we are very pleased with the result.

Mandel Center for excellence in Leadership and Management

To assure that the JCC Movement develops the highly qualified lay and professional leaders it needs to guide an increasingly complex institution such as the JCC, we have formed the Mandel Center for Excellence in Leadership and Management thanks to a grant from the Mandel Foundation.

Since September, this new initiative to help JCCs enhance their management and leadership skills has already provided a wide variety of services to the field. Six new professional positions translate into a team of experts bringing knowledge and experience to create proactive training programs and benchmarks/standards in leadership and management, as well as designing appropriate interventions for those JCCs in need. New marketing and FRD consultants traveled to 12 JCCs and provided much needed individual consultations to 55 JCCs. The field has been asking for marketing and fundraising help for a long time, and we’re happy to be able to provide it through the aegis of the Mandel Center for Excellence.

Our information resources manager–a new position–has responded to many requests for particular kinds of information, including kashrut policies and Shabbat openings. We have also begun to explore trends in general society and the JCC field in order to help our JCCs anticipate change, something all successful institutions must do.

We’re piloting a benchmark program to help JCCs quantify where they are succeeding and where they need to work harder. Eight pilot JCCs were involved in developing and testing benchmarks in three areas: financial planning, customer value, and people participation. Twenty-four JCCs applied to be be part of the next phase, which will develop benchmarks for personnel satisfaction, governance, and donor relations.

We’re very proud of our new support and mentoring program for first time executive directors during the first 120 – 180 days of their administration. Now, when we help a JCC find a new executive director or an assistant executive is promoted, we are able to provide the support needed to insure that executive’s success. Currently, we are working intensively with four brand new executives to accomplish this goal.

JCC Professionals enhance their skillsWe have sponsored executive development training seminars since the 1970’s, but in 2005 JCC Association’s professional development department selected 19 senior department heads from JCC’s throughout North America to be JCC Association’s first Middle Management Training Program (MMTP) class. These people expressed interest in becoming advanced JCC professionals sometime in the next five years. Thanks to a special grant from the New Initiatives Fund, MMTP was able to focus on a variety of management skills, such as defining the role of authority–asserting it, ensuring it, sharing it, and dealing with dissention and challenges. The participants discussed this topic intensely during the 12 days of classes and seminars held during the ten-month program, and continued to talk about it during one-on-one mentoring and long-distance learning sessions. The program also combined Judaic learning with management skills, assigning Moses on Management: 50 Leadership Lessons from the Greatest Manager of All Time by David Baron, in addition to other texts.

Another project we completed during 2005 was the redesign of jccworks.com. The user-friendly JCC Association website is a one-stop shop for anyone interested in finding a professional position in a JCC in North America. Visitors are walked though a simple step-by-step process on how to create their individualized JCC Association profile, a uniform way for all job candidates to present their current and past biographical information. The site also includes tips to candidates on successful job interviewing, as well as a “post a job” link for JCCs to list their current vacancies. For further information contact Tory Holland ([email protected]).

Nearly six hundred JCC professionals from JCCs throughout North America gathered at the four-day JCCs of North America Professional Conference in Philadelphia in April to immerse themselves in more than one hundred and eighty learning sessions, three plenaries, and a variety of social and networking opportunities. The Conference featured an experienced faculty and sessions designed to meet the day-to-day practice needs of our JCC professional staffs. They met in 18 separate institutes designed by kindred work groups, such as early childhood, heath and wellness, day camping and teens. In evaluating the program one participant wrote, “It was amazing to meet 20 colleagues from North America doing the exact same work as I am doing. Thank you!”

During the 2004-2005 school year, JCC Association awarded 11 graduate-study scholarships and grants. While many of the recipients are young, new professionals, we also granted scholarship assistance to mid-career professionals. JCC Association is creating a comprehensive program that will benefit all of our scholarship recipients, at any stage of their career.

During the two-year grant, JCC Association brings the scholarship recipients together several times for professional development and training seminars. This past year, students attended the 2005 JCCs of North America Professional Conference, where they participated in learning sessions and networked with other JCC professionals and volunteers.

Jewishly Enriching Communities Judy Bitman Wortman

i have worked in Jewish communal service since 1968 in many cities and in a variety of positions—in camping, JCCs, Hillel, federations, as national director of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, and now back in the JCC again. i got my start in Philadelphia in 19�7, when i was a 10-year-old camper at the JCC Camps Reeta and Arthur, resident camps that no longer exist. i went through the regular camp routine: camper, Cit, counselor, drama specialist, Jewish informal ed specialist, and unit head. When i graduated from college as a speech and theater major, i went to my camp director and asked him what i could do professionally that was like working in a Jewish resident camp. Go to work at a JCC, he said. i began as a teen worker at the JCCs of Philadelphia.

A JCC Association fellowship helped me get my MsW, and i fulfilled my commitment as the director of Jewish programming for the Mid-Westchester Y in scarsdale. i returned to Philadelphia and worked as a senior planner at the Jewish federation. After 10 years working for federation in south Jersey, i am now back at the JCCs of Philadelphia where i direct the Gershman Y. that was the parent of the camp where i began in 19�7. And so the world goes round.

the woman who oriented the then-JWB fellows told us that married women with children could never become executives. i decided i would prove her wrong, and i have been a mentor to many Jewish professional women for the past thirty-plus years, encouraging them to strive for leadership positions. i have always said that my role model in my career was not a person, but the JCC camping experience, which made me passionate about developing embracing, creative, and Jewishly enriching communities.

Judy Bitman Wortman is the director of The Gershman Y.

securing Jewish Futures 1� JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl report 2005 1�

embracing the JCC Brand

our marketing team hit the road in 200� to spread the word about the new JCC brand. After an in-depth training at the JCCs of north America Professional Conference in April, senior VP of Marketing and Communications Robin Ballin, Creative Director Peter shevenell, and Communications Manager Miriam Rinn traveled to the Leo Yassenoff JCC of Greater Columbus and the David Posnack JCC in Davie, Florida to train regional JCC staff and lay leaders how to implement the JCC brand. in between those trips, the team trained JCC professionals from the new York Metro area and did an all-day training for JCC Association staff. Altogether, we’ve trained professionals from �9 JCCs so far in day-long seminars, and we’ve spoken to dozens more through scheduled conference calls.

we Learn About our CommunitiesHow do we know how to plan for the future? For JCCs, the Florence G. Heller-JCC Association Research Center is one of the places to go for basic and sometimes complex information. Commissioned by the Mandel Center for Jewish Education (MCJE), the FGH Center conducted the first phase of research into the Jewish mission of JCCs in 2005, a qualitative examination of the thinking of JCC leaders. In July, they presented an interim report to Mort Mandel and members of the MCJE’s committee, which focused on the different ways executive directors conceptualize and implement the Jewish mission of their agencies. They then interviewed a diverse group of current and past JCC presidents to better understand how they think about the issue. The research will continue until the FGH Center has a full picture of this complicated and critical matter.

In September, the FGH Center hosted the first in a series of think tanks focused on how younger American Jews are creating Jewish social networks. Entitled “Building Jewish Community with Young Adults through Culture,” this discussion highlighted the creative ways that younger American Jews are using communal cultural events to broaden their Jewish experience. By the end of the evening, the audience began to understand that young-adult American Jews are experiencing and creating Jewish culture in nontraditional ways, and that the Jewish community is not serving this population as fully as it might.

The FGH Center also created a survey for day and resident camp directors, working with Charlene Wendell, JCC Association’s camping consultant. The survey covers employee salaries, budgetary items, camp program offerings, session fees, and Jewish policies, among other things. The camping department shared the information with camp directors so that they could compare their results with their colleagues.

As it does every year, the FGH Center collected budgetary and salary data from JCCs, with detailed information on sources of income and purposes of expenditure. The sheer diversity of JCCs and their accounting schemes has posed an enormous challenge in terms of collecting parallel and comparable information in the past. In 2005, the FGH Center worked hard to make it easier for executives to respond, and over one hundred JCCs participated in the survey, the best showing yet.

the JCC brand gives the JCC Movement a unified identity, and helps set JCCs apart. it creates an emotional connection that strengthens the relationship between JCCs and their members. As Mike Wien, marketing chair of the Marcus JCC of Atlanta, put it, “the brand image and the identity system provide a great tool for JCCs to start on that journey without having to invest in developing an image and a system for themselves.” By the time marketing, membership, and management professionals leave the training sessions, they understand the concepts behind the brand, how to use the brand voice, and how to achieve that great new look and feel. the response has been overwhelmingly positive. “Excellent! Good general overview, but also enough specifics to be able to use the brand and train staff on it,” said one of the participants. Another felt it was a “good introduction to brand concepts and implementation.” A participant in the south Florida training said, “our JCC has already began to incorporate the JCC Brand guidelines, and i will DEFinitELY use this going forward. i’m sold. thanks!”

We can see from JCC marketing materials that JCCs all over north America are getting into the brand. When we surveyed JCCs in the middle of the year, 69 percent said they were using the JCC brand in either their printed materials or their websites. Fifty-one percent had done some staff training in how to use the brand, and 23 percent have trained their JCC lay leaders. our annual report for 2004, which was fully “branded,” won an APEX® Grand Award for Publication Excellence, a tribute to the brand’s effectiveness as a communication tool. the JCC brand is the embodiment of the traits and values people associate with and look for in a JCC.

JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl report 2005 1�

JCCs respond to hurricane KatrinaWhen a disaster strikes, the concepts of k’lal Israel and tikkun olam become even more meaningful, and when Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans and many other Gulf Coast communities, the JCC Movement proved its sense of solidarity. JCCs all over the country immediately mobilized to help communities battered by the storm. The JCCs in the surrounding states worked tirelessly to help Louisiana and Mississippi residents who found themselves marooned in their areas. They prepared meals, helped with childcare, and offered home hospitality. They found temporary housing for hundreds of evacuees and coordinated their efforts with other community groups to shelter and feed the thousands of displaced people that poured into their states. JCCs all over the country marshaled their resources to help the New Orleans JCC, its members and staff, and all the people who had their lives turned upside down.

We at JCC Association wanted to help too in a meaningful way, so we waited until the New Orleans JCC told us what they needed. Uncertain of how many of their members would return or of how many children would show up for preschool, the JCC asked us for help to cover their operating costs—money to keep the lights on and the returning staff paid. We established a special ongoing campaign that galvanized JCCs throughout North America—including Florida JCCs reeling from their own hurricane experience–to collect donations from their members to aid the struggling New Orleans institution. Recently, JCC Association Chair Edward H. Kaplan and Allan Finkelstein, president of JCC Association, traveled there to offer much-needed financial and emotional support. The two presented a check for $250,000, part of the $330,000 raised at that point. “It was a heartwarming reunion of friends, colleagues and community leadership,” Arlene Barron, executive director of the New Orleans JCC said. “But mostly, everyone in the room was touched by Allan and Eddie’s presence as they represented the entire continental Jewish community in support of New Orleans Jewry.”

That’s the power of community, the meaning of a movement.

Anonymousrick Angelrobin and Bob BallinCindy and Jonathan A. Barrack Anise and ronald A. Belzedgar Berner randi and Mark Bernsen Kara and Paul BiermanMarjorie and Morley Blanksteinharvey M. Brownnancy i. and Peter BrownCamp edward isaacsBarry C. Cooper and herbert L. Cooper rose Cutler

D’vora tager and robert Dietz Brian efronDana egertAnn F. and robert eisen Janet s. and Doron elam rachel s. epsteinAllyn and Marlyn r. essmanLeonard B. Feiler Mark A. Feldman w. ross Felt Carole and Barry P. FormanJane GellmanKaren and Joseph Franklin sharon and Michael e. Goldsteinelizabeth and Benjamin Gordonteri P. and Larry Graber Adam haber iris and ronald harkavy Marcia and Allan hayden Leo irving the Jacobson Family Foundation irene and edward h. KaplanCarole and Morton h. KatzMark C. Kodner rachel B. Krantz Jerome i. Kroll thomas edward Kuhn susanne and Bruce Landau David L. Levy Judith and Lester LiebermanMagdovitz Foundation Fani Magnus Monson and Michael Monsonevelyn and Jerome B. MakowskyJanet and Alan Mannherman P. Markell Gerald and Linda MarsdenBarbara and sidney F. Milleri. e. Millstoneronna newburger Michael i. oberlander

Martin e. oberman David oleshansky Lyda G. Parker Marvin J. PertzikGeri and Lester PollackLeon Pollack roy raizen and Family Patricia and stephen r. reinerMiriam rinnstacy B. rubenstein Laura and Leonard rubinsyril and Leonard rubinLinda and Barry russinAlex and Debra saharovich Arne F. salkinharry D. samuels stephanie L. samuels Kay usdan saslawsky elizabeth schreiberJerald seebol Lenny silbermanrichard M. sher harold sher roberta silverArlene and David sorkinMichael h. staenberg Anne steirmanDavid sterling Gwyn and Morris thomas Craig weiss noreen Gordon sablotskyAnnette and Michael saxonsharon and stephen s. seidenAmy and Andrew shaevelAndrea and Alan P. solowroberta and Allan weissglassGwynne and stephen wicks

The contributions made by the listed JCCs were made possible by the actions of their respective boards of directors, executive directors and by several thousand individual donors whose names we do not know.

Following is a list of individuals from across North America whose contributions to the New Orleans JCC were made directly through the JCC Association New Orleans Reopening Fund. We extend the thanks of the New Orleans JCC and of the JCC Movement to all:

1� securing Jewish Futures

JCC Movement’s new orleans JCC reopening FundThe support provided to the New Orleans JCC in the wake of Hurricane Katrina symbolized the strength and unity of the Jewish Community Center Movement. We express profound thanks to the following JCCs for their contributions to their sister JCC in New Orleans:

Aaron Family JCC of DallasAdolph & rose Levis JCCAllentown JCCArnstein JCCAugusta JCCBarshop JCC of san AntonioBergen County Y, a JCCDavid Posnack JCCedith & Carl Marks JCh of BensonhurstJCC of Central new JerseyJCCs of ChicagoJCC of ClevelandJCC of Greater BaltimoreJCC of Greater Kansas CityJCC of the Greater st. Paul AreaJCC of Greater washingtonJCC on the hudsonJCC of indianapolisJCC of the north shoreJCC of northern VirginiaJCC of Greater orlandoJCC of Greater PittsburghJCCs of Greater PhiladelphiaJCC MetrowestJCC of Mid-westchesterJCC on the PalisadesJCC of san FranciscoJCC of stamfordJCC of staten islandJCC of st. LouisJCC-Y of rocklandJewish Federation of Metropolitan

Detroit/JCC of Metropolitan DetroitLawrence Family JCC of san Diego CountyMemphis JCCMerage JCC of orange Countynewburgh JCComaha JCCronald Gardenswartz JCC of Greater Albuquerqueshimon & sara Birnbaum JCCsid Jacobson JCCsidney Albert Albany JCCtucson JCCValley of the sun JCCwashington DC JCCweinstein JCCYork JCCYoungstown JCC

JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl report 2005 1�JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl RepoRt 2004 19

Meeting the ChallengeJCC Association is enjoying a period of extraordinary achievement and opportunity. New programmatic centers are creating dynamic and exciting materials and initiatives for JCCs, and we have begun a drive to enhance the professional and management skills of JCC executives and staff. Now, as we plan for the next several decades, we understand that we must strengthen our endowment to meet the ongoing costs of the innovative programs and services we have been developing and providing to the JCC Movement.

At our September 2005 board meeting, we were privileged to announce three extraordinary gifts totaling $4,000,000. The generous donors presented these gifts to JCC Association in the form of challenge grants towards a goal of $12,000,000. In response, the board unanimously voted in favor of launching a new comprehensive campaign, to take place over five years. “If we are truly inspiring Jewish journeys, we must be certain that those journeys continue into the future. Our new campaign – Meeting the Challenge: Securing Jewish Futures – will allow us to realize this vision,” said Gary Jacobs, chair of the Financial Resource Development Committee, who is chairing the new campaign.

The pace-setting contributions of $2,000,000 from Seth Merrin and Anne Heyman towards the establishment of the Merrin Center for Teen Services; $1,000,000 from Irene and Edward H. Kaplan for general endowment purposes, and $1,000,000 from Jerri-Ann and Gary Jacobs for capital costs of our new offices and the Merrin Center challenge all of us to be as far-seeing and magnanimous.

supporting the troopsIn light of the continuing U. S. military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, JCC Association’s JWB Jewish Chaplains Council worked incessantly throughout 2005 to make sure that chaplains received whatever supplies and support they needed. At Passover, we included international phone cards in the Solo Seder Kits we send yearly so servicemen and women could be in touch with their families at home. Judea and Ruth Pearl, the parents of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, donated 400 copies of the book of essays they edited, I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl, and we sent those to the Middle East, as well. At the request of the U. S. Navy, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council Director Rabbi David Lapp flew to Guantanamo Naval Base, where he conducted two Seders for Navy and Army personnel, and celebrated Shabbat.

Soon afterward, we shipped almost three thousand paperback editions of the Torah and the Book of Psalms in conjunction with the Jewish Publication Society in time for Shavuot, when Jews traditionally study sacred texts. Later in the year, eight chaplains flew to the Middle East to support the chaplains there for the High Holidays, and JWB sent them all the supplies they needed.

The Jewish Chaplains Council kept busy besides their work supporting chaplains. The acting secretary of the Air Force, Michael L. Dominguez, invited Rabbi Lapp to serve on a five-person panel charged with investigating the religious climate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, which had been accused of allowing excessive proselytizing and improperly injecting religion into the cadets’ daily routines. Fifty-five Jewish cadets attend the academy. Rabbi Lapp also flew to Germany to dedicate the first specifically Jewish chapel at the air force base in Ramstein, Germany. The base created both a synagogue and Muslim prayer room in an annex to the South Chapel, which also contains space for interfaith religious and educational fellowship.

Message from Iraq Kathleen M. Gainey Brigadier General, U.S. Army

From the bottom of my heart i would like to thank you for your generosity towards us, and your heartfelt concern for the soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen serving here in iraq. We are all deeply, deeply touched by the gift packages you sent for the holidays. the love you put into each box was evident. My chaplain, Rabbi Mitch schranz, ensured a wide distribution of all the boxes, not just at Camp Victory, but to personnel at bases throughout iraq. some of these bases are quite remote, and the things you sent make life much more comfortable for the personnel located in those areas.

serving in iraq is not an easy assignment, but our young men and women are doing a magnificent job. our morale and spirits are uplifted by just knowing we have the support of people like you. You inspire us because we know that you really care.

Please keep us in your thoughts and pray for us, that our men and women will be able to return home safely to their loved ones, and that peace will soon come to the people of iraq.

March �, 2006

Dear soldiers,

My name is Dan and my bar mitzvah is in the beginning of May. Part of the bar mitzvah process at my synagogue is doing a mitzvah project. After pondering for a while over several projects, i decided i wanted to do something for the Jewish soldiers serving in iraq. since my bar mitzvah is so close to Passover, i wanted to know if there was anything i could do to help the Jewish soldiers celebrate it. so, i spoke with my cousin Josh, who recently served in iraq, to get some ideas. one of the ideas was to send Passover foods to you. Josh got in touch with his chaplain to get us the name of an organization that would be able to do this. i then contacted the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council and found out that they send Passover meals to the Jewish military personnel stationed in the Middle East. i spent the next couple of months collecting donations.

this year, when i am sitting at the Passover seder, i am going to be thinking about how you are helping the iraqi people obtain freedom from a dictator. this reminds me of the time when the Jews were freed from Pharaoh. i will also be thinking of you when i am reading my torah portion at my bar mitzvah. My portion, Kedoshim, is about the laws of holiness and what is right versus wrong. i think that what you are doing in iraq is the right thing, an act of holiness.

thank you for your bravery and i hope that these Passover kits will help you to celebrate this holiday while you are far from home.

sincerely,

Dan K.securing Jewish Futures 1�

JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl report 2005 �1

DonorsJCC Association endowment Funds

securing Jewish Futures

JCC Association �00� revenues and expenses (in thousands)

ReVenueUnrestricted Revenue $ %

NFC and Federation Support 1900 20.7JCC Dues 3456 37.6Annual Giving & Foundation Grants* 895 9.7Corporate Sponsorship 475 5.2Program Revenue 2245 24.4Earnings From Investments 226 2.4

Total Unresricted Revenue 9197 100.0

eXpenSeSUnrestricted $ %

Program Enrichment Services 3,645 39.6Community Consultation Services 1,381 15.0Professional Development 943 10.3Marketing & Communications 810 8.8Services to the Military 324 3.6 Jewish Education (Including Israel Operations) 628 6.8Financial Resource Development 528 5.7Management & Finance 938 10.2

Total Unrestricted Expenses 9197 100.0

*In addition to the grants included above,JCC Association has received restricted grants of $2,913,500 to support additional programs that do not appear in the operating budget:

The AVI CHAI Foundation $100,000George S. Blumenthal 25,000The Lisa and Ron Brill Charitable Trust 50,000The Coca-Cola Company® 100,000Benjamin H. Gordon Charitable Foundation 10,000Irene and Edward H. Kaplan 200,000The Mandel Foundation 870,000The Marcus Foundation 355,000McDonald’s 204,000Anne Heyman and Seth Merrin 100,000The Grandchildren of Harvey & Lyn P. Meyerhoff Foundation 15,000The Joseph & Rebecca Meyerhoff Awards Committee 62,500NFL Youth Football Fund 498,000New Initiative Fund Grants (25 donors) 273,000San Francisco Jewish Community Endowment Fund 51,000

Total Restricted Grants 2,913,500 Endowment Contributions Received in 2005:Beyond2000 and Securing Jewish Futures payments and bequests $1,930,000


�0

Meeting the Challenge: securing Jewish Futures

As JCC Association prepares to launch its new, five-year $12,000,000 capital and endowment campaign, we extend thanks to the three families whose generosity and visionary leadership are making it possible for JCC Association to endow the Merrin Center for Teen Services, enhance our endowment to fund critical programs and services in the future, and provide for essential costs of our new continental headquarters:

the Merrin Center for teen servicesThe Merrin Family

the Jacobs Conference CenterJerri-Ann and Gary Jacobs

Irene and Edward H. Kaplan*

We also thank those whose early commitments to meeting the challenge allow us to look toward the future with excitement and confidence:

the Kaufman-Makowsky Board Room Ann P. and Stephen M. KaufmanEvelyn and Jerome B. Makowsky

Andrea and Alan P. Solow*

office of the Vice President of Development Sharon and David Wax

David Sterling*

D’vora Tager and Robert Dietz*Bonnie and Allan Finkelstein*Lawrence and Carol Zicklin*

Entryway Mezuza Barbara and Edwin Goldberg

Irene and Phil Shiekman*

Mezuzot Fani Magnus Monson and Michael A. Monson Janet and Alan Mann Laura and Leonard Rubin

*Naming not yet designated

For information about contributing to the Securing Jewish Futures Campaign, or to learn about naming opportunities in the new JCC Association continental headquarters, please contact Fani Magnus Monson, Vice President of Development, by email at [email protected] or by telephone (212) 786-5135.

Visionary Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc.

Founders Edgar M. BronfmanIrene and Edward H. KaplanEvelyn and Jerome B. Makowsky

Benefactors Jane GellmanAnn P. and Stephen M. KaufmanArlene and Robert KogodJacqueline Blatt and Ronald L. LeibowMerle and L. Michael OrloveGeri and Lester PollackSyril and Leonard RubinNoreen Gordon SablotskyPaula L. and Edwin N. SidmanCarol Brennglass Spinner and Arthur C. SpinnerLee and John M. Wolf, Sr.

Builders Estate of Matilda BlendesBonnie and Allan FinkelsteinBetty S. and Norton MelaverAnne S. Reich and Henry and Anne Reich

Family Foundation, Inc.Cheryl Fishbein and Philip SchattenLinda and Jerome SpitzerRoberta and Allan Weissglass

patrons Anise and Ronald BelzRuth White Brodsky and

Joanne and Donald BrodskyMarvin GelfandBarbara and Edwin GoldbergVirginia A. and Francis MaasPhyllis and Philip MargoliusMarvin J. PertzikAliki and Peter Rzepka

Barbara and J. Victor SamuelsBarbara and Norman SeidenJudith Shiekman k”z and Philip M. ShiekmanSharon and Edwin ToporekLinda Cornell Weinstein and Sherwin Weinstein

SponsorsBarbara and Douglas BloomBarbara and Daniel DrenchAnnette and Lionel GoldmanTillie Mazor Foundation/Judith LiebermanJudith and Mark LittEstate of Mary LittChildren and Grandchildren of Jerome B. Makowsky,1998-2002 Chair, JCC Association, in his honorLynn and Gerald OstrowPatricia and Stephen R. ReinerShirley and Allan SolomonAndrea and Alan SolowEstate of Henrietta Weil

Friends Wendy and Warren BlumenthalEleanor and Edward EpsteinLaura and Leonard RubinCharlene and Jack G. ShafferRandi and Ian ShermanPeggy and Philip Wasserstrom

Meeting the Challenge: securing Jewish Futures

JCC Association is grateful to the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation of Baltimore, and proud to have partnered with it in this successful campaign, which enhanced our endowment by a total of $5,100,000. We thank the following donors whose generosity in contributing $3,600,000 made it possible to meet the Weinberg Foundation’s $1,500,000 challenge grant.

Visionary: $1,�00,000 Founders: $2�0,000 and above Benefactors: $100,000 and above Builders: $�0,000 and above Patrons: $2�,000 and above sponsors: $10,000 and aboveFriends: $�,000 and above

securing Jewish Futures �� JCC AssoCiAtion AnnuAl report 2005 ��



FoundersJoan and Jesse Feldman k”z

Florence G. Heller Memorial FundFlorence G. Heller TrustMary and Solomon Litt k”z

Barbara and Morton L. MandelSamuel MorganrothGeri and Lester PollackEsther Leah Ritz k”z

GuardiansLili and Max M. HahnSyde HurdusSam SulstenLee and John M. Wolf, Sr.

BenefactorsBeatrice and Irving EdisonHenry Kaufmann FoundationEvelyn Goodstein and

Jacob Goodstein k”z

Irene and Edward H. KaplanFrances and Joseph Kruger k”z

Judith and Lester LiebermanMinnie Nathanson k”z

Janet and Irwin Jay RobinsonArlene and Leonard Rochwarger k”z

Joanna and Daniel RoseCharlene and Jack G. ShafferJudith Shiekman k”z and

Philip M. ShiekmanJeanne and Milton Zorensky

BuildersJean Adler and Robert L. Adler k”z

Hyman J. CohenBonnie and Allan FinkelsteinLeo and George P. FrenkelYetra Goldberg and Israel Goldberg k”z

Ann P. and Stephen M. KaufmanJudith and Mark D. LittEvelyn and Jerome B. MakowskyJoan and Martin E. MessingerSyril and Leonard RubinMuriel RussellHelen Zimman and Harold O.Zimman k”z

patronsElla Berman and Gerrard Berman k”z

Elayne and Julian BernatShirley and Roy DurstEdwin A. Hochstadter Bea D. KatcherCharles R. KatzLynne and Charles KlatskinArthur KokotJacqueline Blatt and Ronald L. LeibowNorma and Alfred W. LevyBetty S. and Norton MelaverSusan Mintz and Donald R. Mintz k”z

Merle and L. Michael OrlovePesses-Sachs FamilyEvelyn S. and Shaol L. PozezAnne S. Reich and Henry S. Reich k”z

Barbara and Norman SeidenGeraldyn and Henry SicularRoseann and Alan SimberloffLinda and Jerome Spitzer

SponsorsGerry and Charles Aaron k”z

Dinerman FamilyBarbara and Daniel DrenchAndrew L. EisenbergLinda and Robert FischerAnnette and Lionel GoldmanAlvin GrayDolores and Solomon GreenfieldAnise and David A. KaplanJanet Kaplan and Leonard Kaplan k”z

Clara and Martin L. LarnerLynn and Gerald OstrowMarvin J. PertzikHarriet L. and William RosenthalAnita and Arthur RotmanEugenia and Irving RudermanMilton A. ShorrDavid SterlingMuriel and Myron StroberSharon and Edwin ToporekPeggy and Philip WasserstromH. S. Weil EstateLinda Cornell Weinstein and

Sherwin WeinsteinRoberta and Allan Weissglass

Endowing today for tomorrow

The following individuals made a leadership commitment to JCC Association’s Endowment Fund to assure that the work of the JCC Movement continues in perpetuity. We give them our special thanks. These gifts were received prior to the inception of the Beyond 2000 Endowment Campaign.

Endowed scholarships

JCC Association scholarships enable students who plan to make careers in the JCC Movement to pursue their education on the master’s level. We thank the generous supporters of this program who endowed their scholarships.

Robert L. Adler Memorial Scholarship FundAlumni Scholarship FundElla and Gerrard Berman Scholarship FundElayne and Julian Bernat Scholarship FundHarold Dinerman Memorial Scholarship FundShirley and Royal H. Durst Scholarship FundJoan and Jesse Feldman Scholarship FundFrances and Samuel Finkelstein Memorial

Scholarship FundFrenkel Memorial Scholarship FundIsrael Goldberg Memorial Scholarship FundGoodstein-Kleitman Memorial Scholarship FundEdwin Hochstader Scholarship FundIrene and Edward H. Kaplan Scholarship FundPhilip R. Kaplan Memorial Scholarship FundBea D. Katcher Scholarship FundCharles R. Katz Memorial Scholarship Fund

Mary and Solomon Litt Scholarship FundMinnie and Louis Nathanson Memorial

Scholarship FundPesses-Sachs Scholarship FundEvelyn S. and Shaol L. Pozez Scholarship FundHenry S. and Anne S. Reich Scholarship FundJoanna S. and Daniel Rose Scholarship FundSyril and Leonard Rubin Scholarship FundMichael-Ann Russell Memorial Scholarship FundFedgie and Hy Schultz Memorial Scholarship FundGeraldyn and Henry Sicular Scholarship FundDiana S. Simberloff Memorial Scholarship FundAvraham Soltes Memorial Scholarship FundSam Sulstan Memorial Scholarship FundOlga F. and Oliver B. Winkler Scholarship FundHelen and Harold O. Zimman Scholarship Fund

Esther Leah Ritz next Generation Memorial Fund

To honor the memory of Esther Leah Ritz, former continental chair and founder of the JCC Association Endowment Fund, we have established the Esther Leah Ritz Next Generation Memorial Fund. Proceeds of this endowment will underwrite the cost of the Next Generation program, which supports the development of lay leadership for Jewish Community Centers. We are grateful to the first donors to this new endowment fund:

Endowment-Funded Program support

JCC Association gratefully acknowledges the following generous supporters, who through their endowments make these programs possible on an ongoing basis:

Judith and Mark D. Litt: Support of JCC Association Israel OfficeGeri and Lester Pollack: JCC Association Jewish education programmingSyril and Leonard Rubin: JCC Association Scholars Fund

Judith and Joseph D. HurwitzIrene and Edward H. KaplanAnn P. and Stephen M. KaufmanCarol and Leonard Lewensohn Philanthropic FundBarbara and Morton L. Mandel

Evelyn and Jerome B. MakowskyMelanie Katzman and Russell MakowskyGeri and Lester PollackLaura and Leonard Rubin

Founders: $2�0,000 and aboveGuardians: $1�0,000 and aboveBenefactors: $100,000 and aboveBuilders: $�0,000 and abovePatrons: $2�,000 and abovesponsors: $10,000 and above


DonorsJCC Association Annual support


new initiatives Fund

JCC Association expresses its gratitude to the visionary supporters of the New Initiatives Fund, spearheaded by Chair Edward H. Kaplan. Through their generosity, the New Initiatives Fund is enabling JCC Association to serve local JCCs with innovative new programs, provide new and necessary professional development opportunities, and develop creative programs to directly benefit JCCs in such areas as technology, fundraising and strategic planning. This multi-million dollar fund is allowing JCC Association to provide for the ever-changing and growing needs of Jewish Community Centers with creative new models and cutting-edge technologies.

Gary BermanMandell BermanJoshua Bernstein The Diane and Norman Bernstein FoundationCharles E. Smith Family Foundation Paul Silberberg and Mark Solomon

CMS Endowment FoundationMarcella and Neil Cohen and

Ryna and Melvin Cohen Samuel R. Dweck Foundation, Inc.Lois and Richard EnglandDiana and Michael David Epstein

Sylvia S. Ely Foundation, Inc.Joan Lee GindesRobert GoldbergCharles H. Goodman Arie and Ida Crown MemorialBrenda and Sandy GuritzkyBarbara and Allan Hurwitz

Irene and Edward H. Kaplan Jack KayLawrence Kirstein k”z

Thelma and Melvin Lenkin and Edward LenkinThe Levitt FoundationBernard L. MadoffMarshall B. Coyne Foundation, Inc.Melrod Family Charitable Foundation, Inc.Alan and Amy Meltzer Family FundHoward and Geraldine Polinger Family FoundationAbe PollinAnne S. ReichCharles and Lynn Schusterman Family FoundationRhoda and Charles SteinerDaniel Solomon Woodbury FundAndrew Tisch

leadership Circle

Horace W. Goldsmith FoundationJerri-Ann and Gary JacobsIrene and Edward H. KaplanBarbara and Morton L. Mandel

platinum plus Club

Edith EverettJoan and Martin E. MessingerGeri and Lester Pollack

Gold plus Club

Ben and Esther Rosenbloom Foundation

Lois RosenthalBarbara and J. Victor SamuelsPaula L. SidmanCheryl Fishbein and Philip SchattenShirley and Allen SolomonJeffrey and Lynda Solomon

Foundation In Honor of Lenny Silberman

Linda and Jerome Spitzer

Silver plus Club

Fern and James BadzinLisa F. and Ron BrillElizabeth and Benjamin GordonAnn P. and Stephen M. KaufmanRonald A. KrancerElizabeth J. Rosenkrantz and

Steven LancmanJacqueline Blatt and

Ronald L. LeibowJudith and Mark D. LittVirginia A. and Francis MaasEvelyn and Jerome B. MakowskyBetty S. and Norton MelaverPatricia and Stephen R. ReinerSharon and Stephen SeidenIrene and Phil ShiekmanSidney Slauson, Esq.Andrea and Alan P. SolowRoberta and Allan Weissglass

Foundation

Bronze plus Club

Susan and Arnold BeilesAnise and Ronald BelzMarjorie and Morley BlanksteinJoanne F. and Donald W. BrodskyNancy I. and Peter BrownMarcella E. and Neil CohenD’vora Tager and Robert DietzLori and Stephen DorskyAndrew L. EisenbergMarlyn R. and Alyn EssmanBonnie and Allan FinkelsteinCarole and Barry FormanFreddi and Marvin GelfandJane GellmanBarbara and Edwin GoldbergAnnette and Lionel GoldmanMary Anna and Michael D. KaplanLester and Judith LeibermanFani Magnus Monson and

Michael MonsonJanet and Alan MannPhyllis and Philip MargoliusBarbara and Sidney MillerMarvin J. PertzikAvalee and Ronald PrehoganBarbara and Martin RosenLaura and Leonard RubinSyril and Leonard RubinAliki and Peter RzepkaNoreen Gordon SablotskyMarcia and Martin J. SatinskyDebra and Gerald K. SchwartzRonna and Michael SegalAnita and Arnold SilberCarol Brennglass Spinner and

Arthur C. SpinnerSusan StearnsDavid and Sharon Wax

Family FundLinda Cornell Weinstein and

Sherwin WeinsteinLee and John M. Wolf, Sr.Kelly and Michael Wolfe

Super VIp Associate

AnonymousTanya and Stephen BodzinBarbara and Daniel DrenchDale T. and Edward FilhaberMarilyn and Sam FoxRita and Lawrence GotfriedJudith and Joseph D. HurwitzCarole and Morton H. KatzJerome C. MarcusAlvin and Marilyn MarsTammy and Scott MenakerRose and James RobinsonToby and Robert RubinLinda and Barry RussinBarbara and Norman SeidenRandi and Ian ShermanSherry and Doron StegerDavid SterlingMuriel and Myron StroberJeannie and Milton Zorensky

VIp Associate

Julian BernatJoshua BernsteinRuth BrodskyEllen and Lawrence R. CohanJane and John C. ColmanDana EgertAnn F. and Robert EisenEleanor and Edward EpsteinRaymond FinkEllen B. GaberSandra and Arnold P. GoldEugene GrantGretchen and Gordon GrossJerome A. KaplanLori and Ron KasnerLeslie and Ronald KatzI. E. MillstoneNational Council of Youth Sports

In honor of Lenny SilbermanLynn and Gerald OstrowLaurie and Haran C. RashesFrancine and Steven RodJoanna and Daniel Rose

Harriet L. and William RosenthalArthur and Anita RotmanJoanna and Daniel RubinAmy and Andrew ShaevelCharlene and Jack G. ShafferCheryl and Mark ShermanLeonard SilbermanEllen and Robert H. TemkinPeggy and Philip WasserstromMichael and Nannette Wien

executive Associate

AnonymousRobin and Bob BallinRobyn BarskySandra Hazen and Howard BerishHal BordyElena and Joel DinkinJanet S. and Doron ElamRuth and Gary FeldmanJudith Corn and David FriedAlan GoldbergJoseph HarrisDeborah and Michael HopkinsRichard JuranLois LautenbergRichard David LevinSaul H. MagramNancy and Douglas “Woody”

OstrowSamuel N. RabinowitzFred F. RichmanLouis M. “Buddy” SapolskyB. Lee SkilkenJohanna and Arnie SohinkiAviva and Harry SternSharon and Edwin ToporekEnid and Barrie M. WeiserJerry WischeNancy and Gerry Zipursky

Annual Fund 200�

JCC Association gratefully acknowledges the following donors who have made generous contributions to the 2005 annual support program:

Mandel Center for Jewish Education

JCC Association is grateful to the Mandel Foundation for its annual renewable grant, which created and sustains the Mandel Center for Jewish Education.

JCC Association also thanks the following for their support of programs within the Mandel Center for Jewish Education:

The AVI CHAI Foundation: Lekhu Lakhem: Jewish and Educational Journeys for JCC Camp Directors

George S. Blumenthal: TAG: Jewish Values Through Camping™: Touching Torah

Mandel Center for Excellence in Leadership and Management

JCC Association is grateful to the Mandel Foundation for its annual renewable grant, which created and sustains the Mandel Center for Jewish Education.

JCC Association thanks Irene and edward H. Kaplan for their support of a program with the Mandel Center for Excellence in Leadership and Management dedicated to helping new and emerging Jewish communities to create Jewish Community Centers.

Leadership Circle: $2�,000 and abovePlatinum Plus: $18,000 - $24,999Gold Plus: $10,000 - $17,999silver Plus: $�,000 - $9,999Bronze Plus: $2,�00 - $4,999super ViP Associate: $1,800 - $2,499ViP Associate: $1,000 - $1,799 Executive Associate: $�00 - $999




Program and Project support

JCC Association gratefully acknowledges the following foundations and individuals who have made generous contributions in 2004, making these programs and projects possible:

Early Childhood initiative/An Ethical start®

The Lisa and Ron Brill Charitable TrustRachel LevinThe Marcus FoundationThe Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Awards CommitteeSan Francisco Jewish Community Endowment FundAndrew J. Shaevel

JCC teen Professional Fellows ProgramAnne Heyman and Seth Merrin

Young Adult initiatives

Support of GesherCityBenjamin H. Gordon Charitable FoundationGrandchildren of Harvey M. and Lyn P. Meyerhoff

Philanthropic Fund

Support of post birthright israel programmingand post birthright israel SouthTaglit-birthright israel

Youth ProgrammingSupport of Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Program InitiativeNational Basketball Association/ Women’s National Basketball Association

Support of JCC Association/NFL Youth Football InitiativesNational Football League Youth Football Fund

Support of the NHL Street Hockey ProgramNational Hockey League

Support of GoGirlGo andSupport of the Women’s Coaches Curriculum

Hadassah Women’s FoundationWomen’s Sports Foundation

scholarship Programs

We gratefully acknowledge the generous supporters of the JCC Association Scholarship Program, which enables students who plan to make careers in the JCC Movement to pursue their education on the master’s degree level.

Elizabeth Schiro and Stephen L. BayerEd Lee and Jean Campe FoundationSam and Louise Campe FoundationCrown Family FoundationShirley and William L. GrossmanBarbara and J. Victor Samuels

JWB Jewish Chaplains Council

JCC Association gratefully acknowledges the individuals and organizations supporting the work of JWB Jewish Chaplains Council with contributions of $500 or more:

AnonymousAnonymousAventura Turnberry Jewish Center, FLB’nai Brith Southeast Region, NCFran and Alan BroderCongregation Olam Tikvah, VACovenant B’nai B’rith, Unit 2215, CACrown Family FoundationWilliam Epstein Insurance Designers, Inc.Shiela and Martin S. LaskyLiberty Region of B’nai B’rith, PANew Kalman Sunshine Fund Max and Rebecca Rochkind Family FoundationStanley J. ScherFelicia R. and Ellis SchnebergNew York Metropolitan Region,

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

In-Kind: The B. Manischewitz Co., LLC

Military Chaplaincy Rabbinical School Scholarship

JCC Association thanks Rabbi Philip Silverstein for establishing the first Military Chaplaincy Rabbinical School Scholarship, in memory of his beloved wife, Adina Silverstein.

Florence G. Heller – JCC Association Research Center

We thank the following donors whose generous contributions support the Florence G. Heller – JCC Association Research Center’s practice-oriented research for Jewish Community Centers and YM-YWHAs:

Circle sponsors

We thank the following donors, whose contributions support the publication of JCC Circle Magazine:

Association of Jewish Chaplains of the USBSN Sports/Sports Supply GroupThe Coca-Cola Company®

Development Consultants, Inc.ICI PaintsJewish Living MagazineKades Financial, Inc. Leslie’s Swimming Pool SuppliesNetwork Services CompanySchlesinger Newman & Goldman Staples Sterling & Sterling, Inc.Tandus

Preferred Vendors

The following companies provide preferential continental account status to affiliated JCCs and/or financial support or services to JCC Association programs:Corporate sponsors

We gratefully acknowledge the following companies who provided support to JCC Association continental programs:

Days of Caring and sharing in day and resident campsThe Coca-Cola Company®

JCC Maccabi Games®

The Coca-Cola Company®

CIBC World Markets Miracle DayCybex

In-Kind: Continental Airlines

JCCs of north America Professional Conference

GOLD SPONSOR:Jewish Living Magazine

BRONZE SPONSORS:ICI PaintsLeslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies

SPONSORS:BSN/Sports Supply GroupThe Coca-Cola Company®

Landscape StructuresNetwork Services CompanyStaplesTandus

Unrestricted Corporate sponsorshipSterling and Sterling, Inc.

Shifra BronznickAvrum I.CohenSteven M. CohenCheryl FishbeinEdward GabovitchJane GellmanSandra GoldSally GottesmanMarvin IsraelowMichael D. KaplanJudith KaplanFerne KatlemanJudith Lieberman

Mark D. LittVirginia A. MaasBernard MarcusNorton MelaverSamuel NorichBarbara RosenToby RubinStephen S. SeidenAndrew J. ShaevelShirley SolomonCarol Brennglass SpinnerPeggy Wasserstrom

cMarket CSI Cybex FreeMotion Fitness ICI Paints Landscape Structures Mondo Network Services Company Paymentech

Precor S&S Worldwide SPRI Staples Star Trac STOTT Pilates Tandus The Nautilus Group

Alison Bank - coverCindy Medina - pp. 1, 9, 17, 18, 25Lisa Plotnik - pp. 4, 21, 22Jeremy S. Lang - p. 8Howard Sandler - p. 13Lorie Keith - p. 14David Kukin - p. 26

Thanks to all the talented photographers who submitted photos to our JCC Photo Competition in 2005. Winning entries can be viewed online at www.jcca.org.

Special thanks to the photographers whose work appears in this Annual Report.

Richard Juran*** Regional Vice-President, and Director, Israel Office 011-972-2-625-1265 | E-mail: [email protected]

Sara Sless*** Program Director, Israel Office 011-972-2-625-1265 E-mail: [email protected]

Tsvi Vinokur*** Israel Director, JCC Maccabi Israel 011-972-2-625-1265 E-mail: [email protected]

JWB JeWish Chaplains CounCil is a US Government-accredited agency to serve the religious, educational, and morale needs of Jewish personnel in the armed forces, their families, and patients in VA hospitals. Its Council Advisory Group consists of Conservative, Orthodox, and Reform rabbis and active-duty Jewish chaplains, a cooperative and successful venture in Jewish pluralism.

Rabbi David Lapp Director, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council; Director, Armed Forces and Veterans Services (x260) DID: 212.786.5119 E-mail: [email protected]

Rabbi Nathan Landman Deputy Director, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council (x287) DID: 212.786.5137 E-mail: [email protected]

Gail Mamatos Sr. Executive Secretary, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council (x261) DID: 212.786.5120 E-mail: [email protected]

Mandel Center for JeWish eduCation has as its mission to infuse the people, experiences and programs of the JCCs of North America with Jewish content, learning, and values, and thereby to enhance and elevate every Jewish person who is part of a JCC community.

Rabbi Alvin Mars Director, Mandel Center for Jewish Education (x243) DID: 212.786.5110 E-mail: [email protected]

Rabbi Laurie Phillips Assoc. Director, Mandel Center for Jewish Education (x268) DID: 212.786.5123 E-mail: [email protected]

Rachel Adler Program Assoc., Mandel Center for Jewish Education (ext. 201) DID: 212.786.5145 E-mail: [email protected]

Marketing and CoMMuniCations provides consultation and training to JCCs to increase their effectiveness in image building, advertising, communications and public relations, as well as accommodating the in-house needs of JCC Association.

Robin Ballin Sr. Vice-President, Marketing and Communications (x247) DID: 212.786.5112 E-mail: [email protected]

Peter Shevenell Creative Director (x229) DID: 212.786.5101 E-mail: [email protected]

Miriam Rinn Communications Manager (x221) DID: 212.786.5092 E-mail: [email protected]

Jeremy Kortes Graphic Designer (x296) DID: 212.786.5143 E-mail: [email protected]

Jarah Moesch Web Designer (x291) DID: 212.532.4949 E-mail: [email protected]

Alina Cherny Marketing Administrator (x225) DID: 212.786.5096 E-mail: [email protected]

professional developMent recruits, refers for placement, counsels, and trains professionals across the continent. Extends scholarships to qualified college graduates interested in JCC careers and offers training seminars as well as study seminars in Israel.

Steven Rod Vice-President, Professional Development (x213) DID: 212.786.5085 E-mail: [email protected]

Joy Brand Associate Director, Professional Development (x249) DID: 212.786.5114 E-mail: [email protected]

Sara Levithan Coordinator of Recruitment and Scholarship Programs (x246) DID: 212.786.5111 E-mail: [email protected]

Tory Holland Administrative Assistant (x214) DID: 212.786.5086 E-mail: [email protected]

prograM serviCes provides JCCs and camps with program assessment and resources to help them maintain creative, innovative programming in arts and culture, early childhood education, adults, teens, individuals with special needs, fitness, recreation, and camping. It also coordinates the JCC Maccabi Experience, which includes JCC Maccabi Games®, JCC Maccabi Israel™, and JCC Maccabi ArtsFest™.

Leonard Rubin Executive Vice-President, Program Services (x269) DID: 212.786.5124 E-mail: [email protected]

Amanda Berhaupt Assistant to the Exec. Vice-President, Program Services (ext. 270) DID 212.786.5125 E-mail: [email protected]

Patricia Cipora Harte Assistant Vice-President, Program Services (x275) DID: 212.786.5130 E-mail: [email protected]

Lenny Silberman Assistant Vice-President, Program Services, Continental Director, JCC Maccabi Games (x273) DID: 212.786.5144 E-mail: [email protected]

Ron Siegel Continental Assistant Director, JCC Maccabi Games (x231) DID: 212.786.5102 E-mail: [email protected]

Michele Korntreger Continental Coordinator, JCC Maccabi Games (x253) DID: 212.786.5116 E-mail: [email protected]

Lauren Lerner Continental Associate, JCC Maccabi Games (x208) DID: 212.786.5083 E-mail:[email protected]

Sharon Hod JCC Maccabi Educational Shaliach (x289) DID: 212.786.5139 E-mail: [email protected]

Estelle Heifetz Sr. Secretary, JCC Maccabi Games (x222) DID: 212.786.5093 E-mail: [email protected]

Naomi Marks Director of Teen Services and JCC Maccabi Israel in North America (x294) DID: 212.786.5141 E-mail: [email protected]

Adinah East JCC Maccabi Israel Continental Coordinator (x219) DID: 212.786.5091 E-mail: [email protected]

Alon Lavi JCC Maccabi Israel Shaliach (x203) DID: 212.786.5152 E-mail: [email protected]

Janine Acevedo Sr. Secretary, JCC Maccabi Israel (x218) DID: 212.786.5090 E-mail: [email protected]

Charlene Wendell Consultant on Camping & Youth Services (x271) DID: 212.786.5126 E-mail: [email protected]

Steve Becker Continental Consultant Sports and Wellness (x235) DID: 212.786.5105 E-mail: [email protected]

Daniel Schoenberg Admin. Assistant, Camping & Sports and Wellness (x224) DID: 212.786.5095 E-mail: [email protected]

Jason Silberfein Flag Football Program Director (x202) DID: 212.786.5081 E-mail: [email protected]

Arlene Sorkin Director, JCC Maccabi ArtsFest (x217) DID: 212.786.5089 E-mail: [email protected]

Melissa Wener Program Coordinator, JCC Maccabi ArtsFest (x234) DID: 212.786.5104 E-mail: [email protected]

Adam Courtney Director, Young Adult Initiative (x240) DID: 212.786.6108 E-mail: [email protected]

Dr. Ruth Pinkenson Feldman Director, Early Childhood Education (x227) DID: 212.786.5098 E-mail: [email protected]

Miriam Healy Projects Coordinator, Early Childhood Education (x238) DID: 212.786.5106 E-mail: [email protected]

Lisa Litman Early Childhood Specialist DID: 610.668.1656 E-mail: [email protected]

Irina Abdrakhmanova Early Childhood Associate (x272) DID: 212.786.5106 E-mail: [email protected]

*JCC association southwestern services officeP.O. Box 30372Austin, Texas 78755Tel (512)241-1118 officeE-mail: [email protected]

**JCC association southeastern services office8200 Hampson Street, Suite 301New Orleans, LA 70118Tel(504)866-5090 • Fax(504)866-8164E-mail: [email protected]

***JCC association israel officeSolomon and Mary Litt Building12 Moshe Hess StreetJerusalem, 94185, IsraelTel: 011-972-2-625-1265 • Fax: 011-972-2-624-7767E-mail: [email protected]

in Memoriam: avi namak

We lost a beloved and esteemed colleague in Avi Namak in 2005. Avi devoted his time and energies to the JCC Movement and the people who worked in JCCs, always supporting and encouraging the professionals and lay people with whom he dealt. We all feel his loss deeply.

Please note that if you are in our telephone system through the main switchboard (212) 532-4958, you can contact additional staff members via their extensions (in parentheses below). Staff members can also be reached directly at their (DID) numbers.

adMinistration

Allan Finkelstein President (x207) DID: 212.786.5082 E-mail: [email protected]

Yael Lubofsky Coordinator of the Executive Office (x212) DID: 212.786.5084 E-mail: [email protected]

CoMMunity serviCes consults with all communities to enhance the functioning of JCC boards, executives, and staff. Provides JCCs with ongoing training in areas such as lay leadership development, staff development, programming, finances, etc. Helps JCCs improve their services by conducting research, gathering statistical data, and strategic planning studies, developing annual work plans, and providing seminars for management and lay leaders. Community Services sends a bi-weekly electronic communication packet to executive directors and presidents to share resources, information, and trends. Research and statistical data provided by Florence G. Heller-JCC Association Research Center.

Mandel Center for Excellence in Leadership and Management will transform the field by allowing JCCs to assess their management effectiveness and leadership needs, be more responsive to difficulties as they arise, and develop a practical approach towards continuous self-improvement over time. MCELM will help JCCs meet the challenges of the future with confidence and proficiency.

Alan Mann Executive Vice-President, JCC and Community Services; Director, MCELM (x288) DID: 212.786.5138 E-mail: [email protected]

Gladys Goldman Executive Assistant (x216) DID: 212.786.5088 E-mail: [email protected]

Ann Eisen** Vice-President, Community Services; Consultant on Leadership Development DID: 504. 866.5090 E-mail: [email protected]

Janet S. Elam* Vice-President, Community Services DID: 512-241-1118 E-mail: [email protected]

Arnie Sohinki Vice-President, Community Services (x226) DID: 212.786.5097 E-mail: [email protected]

Alan Goldberg Vice-President, MCELM and Community Services (x267) DID: 212.786.5122 E-mail: [email protected]

Melissa Shipenberg Consultant on Marketing and Membership, MCELM (x245) DID: 212.532.4958 E-mail: [email protected]

Kay Mitchell Manager of Information Resources (x242) DID: 212.786.5109 E-mail: [email protected]

Danielle Weiss Program Associate (x274) DID: 212.786.5129 E-mail: [email protected]

Prof. Steven M. Cohen Director, Florence G. Heller-JCC Assoc. Research Center E-mail: [email protected]

Judith Veinstein Associate Director, Florence G. Heller-JCC Association Research Center (x264) DID: 212.786.5121 E-mail: [email protected]

Margaret Kavanagh Southern Office Staff** E-mail: M [email protected]

finanCe and adMinistration serviCes oversees management of financial and human resources record keeping, financial reports, and information technology. Assists JCCs in developing data- processing plans and in conducting financial reviews. Maintains JCCs Online, the computer network linking the JCC Movement.

Robert Dietz Sr. Vice-President, Finance and Administration (x280) DID: 212.786.5134 E-mail: [email protected]

Irina Khomina Director, Human Resources (x277) DID: 212.786.5131 E-mail: [email protected]

Rita Niyazova Accounting Manager (x278) DID: 212.786.5132 E-mail: [email protected]

Irina Abromov Accounting Assistant (x279) DID: 212.786.5133

Franklin James Production Supervisor (x258) DID: 212.786.5118 E-mail: [email protected]

Andy Zhang Manager of Information Technology (x233) DID: 212.786.5103 E-mail: [email protected]

Paul Niedbala Information Technology Associate (x223) DID: 212.786.5094 E-mail: [email protected]

Donald Credle Production Assistant (x248) DID: 212.786.5113 E-mail: [email protected]

Jamella Hall Receptionist (x0) DID: 212.532.4949 E-mail: [email protected]

D’wayne Haywood Shipping and Receiving (x239) DID: 212.786.5107 E-mail: D’[email protected]

finanCial resourCe developMent is responsible for the agency’s fundraising efforts, including annual support and designated giving, JCC Associates, foundation grants, corporate sponsorship and preferred vendor programs, special events and endowment funding.

Fani Magnus Monson Vice-President of Development (x281) DID: 212.786.5135 E-mail: [email protected]

Gwynne Wicks Assistant Director of Development (x228) DID: 212.786.5099 E-mail: [email protected]

Elaine Vasquez Administrative Assistant (x285) DID: 212.786.5136 E-mail: [email protected]

JCC assoCiation’s israel offiCe represents the interests of North American JCCs and provides services for them in Israel. It also implements Israel-based Jewish educational programs including training seminars for JCC professional staff and lay leaders, JCC Maccabi Israel™ experience programs for teens, Taglit-birthright israel for young adults, partnership initiatives between JCCs and community centers in Israel, and creates specialized Israel trips for JCC members.

Officers & Board Staff & ServicesChair Edward H. Kaplan

vice-ChairsDonald BrodskyCheryl FishbeinRonald L. Leibow Virginia A. Maas Geri Pollack Stephen SeidenPaula L. Sidman Alan P. SolowAllan Weissglass

secretaryMarvin Gelfand

associate secretariesPeter RzepkaNoreen Gordon SablotskyIan Sherman

treasurer J. Victor Samuels

associate treasurersRonald A. Belz Gary Jacobs Toby Rubin

presidentAllan B. Finkelstein

honorary ChairsAnn P. KaufmanJerome B. MakowskyMorton L. MandelLester PollackDaniel Rose

president emeritusArthur Rotman

Board of directorsJames BadzinArnold BeilesMarjorie BlanksteinStephen BodzinLisa F. BrillNancy I. BrownLawrence R. CohanDr. Avrum I. CohenMarcella E. CohenJeffrey A. CoopersmithJoel DinkinStephen DorskyDana EgertJulius EisenAndrew L. EisenbergDale T. FilhaberRaymond Fink Barry P. FormanJane GellmanEdwin GoldbergLionel GoldmanDavid S. GoldsteinBenjamin GordonLawrence GotfriedLawrence GreenMichael HopkinsJoseph D. HurwitzMichael D. KaplanRon KasnerMorton H. KatzRonald M. KatzStephen M. Kaufman

Linda KislowiczCharles KlatskinJudith LiebermanGary LipmanPhilip N. MargoliusBetty S. MelaverDr. Scott MenakerDr. Sidney MillerMarvin J. PertzikRonald PrehoganHaran C. RashesStephen R. ReinerRose RobinsonBarbara RosenHoward Rosenbloom Lois RosenthalDaniel RubinLeonard RubinLinda RussinLouis M. SapolskyMartin J. SatinskyMichael SaxonPhilip SchattenGerald K. SchwartzMichael SegalAndrew ShaevelJack G. ShafferCheryl ShermanPhilip M. ShiekmanArnold SilberPhilip SilversteinJeffrey SolomonShirley SolomonDavid H. SorkinCarol Brennglass SpinnerJerome Spitzer Doron StegerDr. Harry D. SternRobert TemkinGerald TumarkinDavid WaxLinda Cornell WeinsteinMichael S. WienLawrence A. WolfeMichael WolfeGerry Zipursky

honorary Board MembersMeyer L. BalserJulian BernatDaniel DrenchIrwin L. Elson Sidney FeldmanStanley D. FerstGilbert S. FoxHugh W. Greenberg Gordon R. GrossHenry KohnMark D. Litt I.E. MillstoneGerald S. Ostrow Rabbi Emanuel Rackman Irwin Jay RobinsonHarriet L. RosenthalMarvin D. RubensteinIrving RudermanNorman SeidenMyron Strober Henry TaubJohn M. Wolf, Sr.

AkronAlbanyAlbuquerqueAllentownAltoonaAnn ArborAshevilleAtlanta AugustaAustinBaltimoreBayonneBaysideBeachwoodBerkeleyBinghamtonBirminghamBoca RatonBostonBoulder Boynton Beach BridgewaterBrightonBronxBrooklynBuffaloBuffalo GroveCalgary CantonCedarhurstCharleston

CharlotteCherry HillChesterfieldChicagoChula VistaCincinnatiClearwaterCleveland

HeightsCliftonColumbiaColumbusCommackCoral SpringsDallasDaytonDeal ParkDelray BeachDenverDes MoinesDetroitDunwoodyDurhamEast HillsEdmontonFairfaxFairfieldFlossmoorForest HillsFoster CityFramingham

Ft. LauderdaleHamiltonHarrisburgHartfordHollywood HoustonIndianapolisIrvineJacksonvilleKnoxvilleLake ComoLake DeltonLancasterLas VegasLittle Neck LondonLong Beach, CALong Beach, NYLos AngelesLos GatosLouisvilleMaitlandMalibuManalapanManhattanMarbleheadMargateMariettaMemphisMetairieMiami

Miami BeachMilfordMilwaukeeMinneapolisMontrealMount VernonNaplesNashvilleNewark New OrleansNewburghNewton CentreNorfolkNorthbrookNorth Miami

BeachOak ParkOceansideOklahoma CityOmahaOrlandoOttawa Overland ParkOwings MillPalm SpringsPalo AltoPhiladelphia PierrefondsPittsburghPlainviewPlantationPleasantvillePort Jefferson

StationPortland, MEProvidenceRaleighReginaRichmond

RiverdaleRochesterRocklandRockville St. LouisSt. PaulSalt Lake CitySan AntonioSan DiegoSan FranciscoSan RafaelSanta BarbaraSanta RosaSarasotaSavannahScarsdaleSchenectadyScotch PlainsScottsdaleScrantonSeattleSherman OaksSkokieSouthburySpringfieldStamfordStaten IslandStoughtonTampaTarrytownTempeTenaflyToledoTorontoTrenton TucsonTulsaVancouverWalnut Creek

Washington, DCWashington

Township WayneWestboroWest Bloomfield West HillsWest OrangeWest Palm BeachWhippanyWilkes BarreWilmingtonWindsorWinnipegWoodbridgeWorcesterWynnewoodYorkYoungstown

non-profitU.S. poStage

PAIDpermit no. 3111new York, nY

15 East 26th StreetNew York, NY 10010-1579www.jcca.org

from coast to coast

the

jcc

mov

emen

t

Annual Report 2005

Documents

Transcript of Annual Report 2005